Intel Developer Forum - Day 1

2007 marks 10 years of the IDF and judging by the number of annoucements from Intel the speed of advances has barely slowed. The 45nm platform will be superceded by the 32nm sandybridge and westmere platforms by 2009. Future releases will see the desktop and notebook architectures released together - reflecting Intel's forecast that by 2009 worldwide notebook shipments will have surpassed desktops.

I still have the nagging sense that Intel are somehow imprisoned by their obsessive pursuit of processor advances - in the knowledge that it will have to end at some point. Granted that the media elite, extreme gamers and high end business users will always support demand for the newest processors but what if an economic slowdown were to impact on consumer electronics sales? how would this impact on a model so dependant on volumes to offset the mind-blowing R&B investment required.

From a user perspective - USB 3.0 caught my eye, the inclusion of optical connectivity could have real benefits and it is good to see backwards compatibility at the forefront of this advance. Also good to see the continued investment in the ultra mobile segment - where small form factor and low power consumption are key. WiMax looks very interesting although surely Intel should at least acknowledge the importance of 3G for roaming workers.

The procession of buttoned down, blue shirted execs from the industry is disrupted by a terribly enthusiastic founder of a gaming graphics company. Their demonstration of the next gen of PC gaming technology shows the insatiable demand for processor advances to drive the amazing advances in resolution and speed.